Leeves: I love to make Betty laugh

Jane Leeves has revealed that one of her favourite things about working on Hot In Cleveland is making co-star Betty White laugh.

British-born Jane spent 11 seasons as Daphne Moon on Frasier before landing her current hit US TV role, while Betty is a household name thanks to her stints in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls.

Betty revealed that all her TV Land sitcom co-stars - Jane, Valerie Bertinelli and Wendie Malick - can make her crack up while filming.

"These girls can ALL make ME laugh," Betty said. "And with THIS one" - she nods toward Jane - "if we lock eyes for a moment on stage, I'm gone!"

Jane explained: "My back will be to you in a scene, and then I'll turn around and I'll go like this" - she flashed a little comic scowl at Betty, then swivelled back again as White exploded with a helpless fit of giggles.

"Then I hear THAT," said Jane, 51, with satisfaction. "Making her laugh is the best part of my day, I have to tell you!"

Jane said she discovered she could be funny from a young age.

"It happened for me at school," she said. "I was geeky and tall and skinny and the best way in with the other students was to make them laugh. I can remember doing fake lessons on the board before the teacher came in. I would have the class in stitches. And I would think: This is powerful, I like this!"

Ninety-year-old Betty said her humour came from her family.

"I'm an only child, and I had a mother and dad who never drew a straight line: They just thought funny," she explained. "We'd sit around the breakfast table and then we'd start kicking it around... We had such a wonderful time."